Farewell Shetland

Thanks to the too large bowl of spicy bean soup I had for lunch yesterday, it was easier than it might have been to get up early and go for a wander on my own, leaving his Lordship asleep.

The old harbour was deserted of people but choc-a-bloc with yachts gathering for a Shetland v Norway race. Their flags were vying for space to fly, and the noise of the rigging clanking almost drowned out the chimes of the town hall clock striking 6.

As I watched, another yacht from Norway inched its way into the harbour, taking down it its white sail just as I got my camera ready to blip it. Another missed opportunity.

It was so peaceful that I headed up and round the Knab, a promontory which guards the entrance to the old harbour and is a wonderful look out point.
The sky was blue, with just a few white clouds, and the sun slanted low on the Bressay Sound.
I could see a car on Bressay making its way down to the ferry for the first commuter trip of the day to Lerwick, and far off on the horizon, there was the big ferry from Aberdeen making its stately way in for its 7am arrival.

And so I've bid an early morning farewell to Shetland before we pack and leave by boat for Orkney this afternoon.
It's been a wonderfully nostalgic week for me, when I've renewed my acquaintance with these islands which hold such a special place in my heart and which I've kept dear to me for over 50 years.

As for his Lordship, I think he has enjoyed seeing Shetland, but his genes are not from the northlands; he fares better in the hot humid climate of places like Malaysia.

My blip is of one of the many lanes running up from the harbour. Goodness knows how people manage in the ice and snow, although this one does have a hand rail at least.